Sunday, October 10, 2010

Anna's "Polpettone".... Layered Meatloaf

With the arrival autumn and the cooler weather, we search out comforting food. To get away from pasta dishes, meatloaf seemed like an appetizing alternative. Although it wasn't a regular dish on my parent's table, meatloaf, "polpettone" (large meatball) does originate from the basic meatball recipe. This is my take on meatloaf with an Italian twist, a mix of veal, pork, and beef stuffed with tasty layers of tomatoes and spinach, zucchini, caramelized onion and mushrooms. The golden brown topping of panko breadcrumbs with Parmigiana Reggiano, parsley, garlic,and extra virgin olive oil seals in all the meat's juices and provides a crunch to every bite. I hope you enjoy !Ingredients:
Fillings:
1/2 large sweet onion chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 large zucchini with peel, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
dash of salt and pepper

In a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the chopped onion and cook until golden. Add the mushrooms and cook until both are caramelized. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Using the same pan, add some additional oil, and saute the zucchini slices until golden. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and allow to stew and the liquid to reduce. Toss in the spinach and cook for a minute. Should their be excess water, simply drain the mixture or pat with a paper towel. Allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, add the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs and the remainder of the ingredients and mix with your hands to combine.
To assemble the meatloaf, place half of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 5"x9" loaf pan and pat down gently. Spread a layer of the tomato/spinach mixture on the meat. Add the zucchini on top of the tomato/spinach layer and spread evenly. Place the onion/mushrooms on the zucchini and spread the remainder of the meat on the stuffing. Top with the prepared breadcrumbs and bake in a 350º F oven for 1 hour.

Juicy and tender meatloaf with all that caramelized goodness and crunchy breadcrumb topping.

Wayne, Thanks for dropping by and to answer your question, by all means give the squash a try. I simply used what I had on hand,and what I thought went well together. Let me know how your version turns out.

Thanks Cat, I'm glad you like the meatloaf recipe. You're absolutely right,it's a meal in itself. What's also great about the layered meatloaf is that you can adapt the stuffing to your favourite vegetables.